Embroidery is a delicate art at the best of times, but Russian textile designer Katerina Marchenko takes the skillful craft to the next level. By hand-stitching nature-inspired embroidery designs onto net-like tulle fabric, Marchenko creates mesmerizing floating illusions. The dazzling designs shimmer on the translucent fabric: colorful insects flutter and birds soar through the air, while fish appear to swim inside the embroidery hoop “fish bowls.”

Along with colorful cotton embroidery floss, stitched to create a painterly effect, Marchenko embellishes some of her designs with sequins, beads, and metallic threads. Once the artist’s ethereal designs are complete, she releases her thread animals from the embroidery hoop and incorporates her work into her own handmade garments.

When she’s not stitching and sewing, Marchenko teaches embroidery classes in Moscow. Find more of the talented designer’s delicate work on Instagram, where she now has a growing fanbase of almost 50,000 followers.